The Soul of Maintaining a New Machine
7 hours ago
- #community of practice
- #workplace ethnography
- #knowledge management
- Xerox service technicians in the 1980s relied on social interactions, especially sharing 'war stories,' to solve complex and unpredictable problems with photocopiers, as formal documentation was insufficient.
- Anthropologist Julian Orr's ethnography revealed that technicians' knowledge was communal, with narrative storytelling being key for diagnosis and knowledge circulation within their community of practice.
- Technicians often fixed customer-induced issues, requiring them to educate users on proper machine operation and build delicate social relationships, which were as crucial as mechanical repairs.
- Xerox's management initially viewed technician socialization as wasteful, but Orr's research inspired the Eureka project, a peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing system that improved service efficiency globally.
- Despite resistance from corporate hierarchies, Eureka succeeded in France and Canada by involving technicians in design, leading to significant cost savings and recognition, though Xerox failed to fully integrate this frontline knowledge into broader company strategy.